The Data Is Clear On Which Of Jason Statham's Two Recent Action Movies Deserves A Sequel More

Jason Statham has starred in two hit action movies in the past couple of years — The Beekeeper and A Working Man — and simple statistics determine which one is more deserving of a sequel. Statham is one of the last remaining box office stars who don’t need to rely on I.P. like Marvel superheroes and can actually attract a crowd to a theater. At a time when most non-franchise action movies flop, audiences are still turning up to see Statham on the big screen.

Statham’s latest action vehicle, A Working Man, has dethroned the Snow White remake at the box office. His new revenge thriller has toppled a giant mega-budget Disney property on the box office charts, proving that Statham is even more popular than the original Disney princess. After the success of A Working Man, it seems likely to get a sequel. But maybe Statham’s last action movie, The Beekeeper, should get a sequel first. The stats make it clear that one deserves a sequel more than the other.

A Working Man’s Box Office & Rotten Tomatoes Scores Compared To The Beekeeper

The Beekeeper Got A Warmer Reception From Critics & Audiences

While A Working Man has been a hit with both critics and audiences, The Beekeeper did even better. The Beekeeper caught everyone by surprise. It’s a ridiculous movie with a ridiculous premise, but it’s also a ton of fun. It earned an impressive “fresh” critics’ score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an even more enthusiastic 92% from audiences. A Working Man’s audience score isn’t too far behind The Beekeeper with 89%, but it has a much lower critics’ score of 51%, below the “rotten” threshold.

	RT Critics’ Score	RT Audience Score	Box Office Opening	CinemaScore
The Beekeeper	71%	92%	$16.5 million	B+
A Working Man	51%	89%	$15.2 million	B

The Beekeeper fared better at the box office, too, grossing $16.5 million domestically on its opening weekend (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline). A Working Man’s own opening weekend isn’t far off, with $15.2 million, but The Beekeeper had great legs and ended up with a very strong multiplier. A Working Man should still end up being a success, but the weaker reviews will make it more difficult to repeat The Beekeeper’s lifetime gross of $162 million. The Beekeeper fared better on CinemaScore, too. A Working Man earned a respectable CinemaScore of B, but The Beekeeper slightly outdid it with a B+.

A Working Man Could Get A Sequel, But The Beekeeper 2 Would Be Better

Both Have Franchise Potential

Both The Beekeeper and A Working Man have franchise potential. The Beekeeper has some fascinating worldbuilding and the first movie just scratched the surface, while A Working Man is adapted from a book series with a bunch of other entries. But in terms of box office performance and critical reception (and simply what sounds more exciting as a viewer), The Beekeeper 2 would be the better Jason Statham sequel. Thankfully, The Beekeeper 2 is already in development, with Timo Tjahjanto attached as director.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline